A startup CEO who was turned down 100 times before raising $5 million says he suffers from ‘impostor syndrome’ — and he hopes it never goes away

“Impostor syndrome” is the phenomenon in which people don’t think they deserve their success and fear being exposed as frauds.
Johnny Reinsch, CEO of fintech startup Qwil, said he’s had impostor syndrome since he cofounded his company in 2015. Reinsch said he hopes his impostor syndrome never goes away because it motivates him to learn more and perform better. One thing many successful people have in common is the feeling that they don’t deserve their success. That they’re a fraud. That they’ve fooled everyone into believing they are competent, but they’ll someday be exposed as phonies. That feeling is called “imposter syndrome,” and the CEO of one fintech startup says he’s had it for three years and counting. A startup CEO who was turned down 100 times before raising $5 million says he suffers from ‘impostor syndrome’ — and he hopes it never goes away